Instead of throwing out the cardboard center roll from your paper towel or toilet paper roll, put it to good use in the garden. Cut it into segments, and press it into the soil around your newly planted seedlings to give them a little extra protection from slugs and other ground dwelling pests that won't appreciate a tall barrier between them and your plants.

Granted, the most enterprising pests will just climb up and over the paper roll, but the added protection may be all it takes to help your seedlings grow a bit and get hardy enough to not mind a little slug-munching. Plus, if you're looking for a plant starter, you can pack some soil and seedlings into multiple rolls and keep them inside until the weather is right to plant them in your garden. That way you can give your plants a pest-free headstart to the growing season.

Apartment Therapy has a number of other great gardening re-uses for common kitchen waste items at the link below, like using crushed eggshells in your compost or hollowed citrus shells to lure slugs and snails away from your plants, so check it out for more tips. Do you have any favorite gardening tricks to share? Let's hear them in the comments below.